Best PlacesHethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg, VA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg ranks 1,747th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg's strengths and weaknesses
Where Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- School gradeA, better than 98% of neighborhoods
- Short commute15.6 minutes each way, better than 97% of neighborhoods
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
Where Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 17% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg
A household needs to earn about $113,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $64,915, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg's effective rate of 0.59%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg
Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg.
Who works in Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg, and how
Work in Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg centers on education and hospitality & food. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 61%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 22%
Life in Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg.
What the weather is like in Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg, month by month
Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg sees roughly 84 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 46, with lows near 25. The comfortable stretch runs April through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 34° | 25° |
| April | 70° | 55° | 42° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 64° |
| October | 70° | 57° | 45° |
Flying in and out of Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg
The nearest airport, Roanoke/Blacksburg Regional (Woodrum Field), is about 27 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Raleigh-Durham International, about 131 miles away.
The best schools in and around Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg
Schools across Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg average an A, better than 98% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Gilbert Linkous ElementaryA+ · 82% proficient
- Margaret Beeks ElementaryA · 72% proficient
- Kipps ElementaryA · 67% proficient
Top middle schools
- Blacksburg MiddleA+ · 69% proficient
Top high schools
- Blacksburg HighA+ · 84% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg
Is Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg ranks 1,747th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on heat safety, low disaster risk, and good schools, and lowest on distance from a big city and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $445,302. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $64,915 median income, cost of living beats 42% of neighborhoods.
Is Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg safe?
Yes, Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg is safer than 73% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $351 per resident a year.
Compare Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Hethwood-Prices Fork, Blacksburg detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.